Values Based Recruitment

[Zillini]

Originally Posted by keystone 209

As the Vice Pres of Recruitment for my chapter, I'm working really hard to lead my chapter from the static-twice-per-year recruitment to a year round values-based one. Problem is, they don't seem to be taking it very well. We had our sisterhood retreat this weekend, and I did a 3 hour workshop with them (attempting) to show my sisters why we need to change things now and leave a lasting system to best ensure quality sisters, even after we're gone.

They agreed with lots of things I said, but a key component- creating a set of values-based membership criteria- they all disagreed with. All I heard was stuff like "But I know personally my grades weren't the best before joining, being in D Phi E has made them so much better! How do we know that won't happen to another girl" (when talking about raising the academic criteria higher than the one set by Panhel) or "We can't just cut a girl based on some things we come up with today before we even meet her" or "We just have to take a risk, the older sisters took a risk on us and we turned out well." I tried my best to explain to them how leaving it to chance is one of the best ways to drive the chapter into the ground, but they wouldn't listen.

It was so frustrating! They would not see my point, the fact that we're taking that risk on our chapter's future could completely backfire, and that without a systematic way of reviewing PNMs, we're leaving it up to whatever people can come up with. We're full of very diverse, type-a personalities (myself included) so once a disagreement like that gets started, its hard to pull anything back. I was at really starting to get worked up about it so I dropped it for the time, but I know I need to bring it up again at our first meeting next week, recruitment is only 3 weeks away. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to approach this in a different manner? Or things I could bring up to show my sisters that "taking a risk" is one of the worst things we could do?

Maybe I'm reading more into your post than you intended or meant. It sounded like you were telling the members what standards they should look for in PNMs. Instead I would suggest going about it in a different way and put the ball in their court so to speak.

Ask your members what qualities they feel make a good member? A good sister? A good friend? What are your goals for the entire organization? To increase membership numbers? Scholarship? Strengthen sisterhood? Etc.

Get a big poster board or sheet of paper and make a list. Keep it posted in your chapter room (or equivalent) to look at, be reminded of and if necessary revise as needed. These will then become the standards that you all look and strive to achieve. If everyone realizes that the whole chapter is working towards certain goals they will hopefully support it.